Originally Posted by Jellby

Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (1725-1798) was a Venetian adventurer and author, who associated with the royalty and other of his time. He also was a famous "womanizer", of which word his name has become synonymous, through antonomasia.

He began writing his (long) memoirs allegedly in 1789, and today they are regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century.

The manuscript was never fully published until 1962, and before that there was a series of partial publications and translations (the original is in French), mostly censored (with the most "sexual" parts removed), and with apocryphal sections. This is the translation published by Arthur Machen in 1894 (Machen died in 1947, so this translation is not public domain everywhere), and it is based in of those inaccurate versions.

I have not proofread this book, and I know it has many mistakes. Diacritics and italics (if any) are missing, and I've found quite a few problems with quote marks. I'm publishing it now because ahi challenged me Of course, from now on, I'd be glad to apply any corrections needed.